Built-up step construction



March 16, 1954 w. J. ALClNl BUILT-UP STEP CONSTRUCTION Filed July 26. 1950 Patented Mar. 16, 1954 oFF cE 572,045 SHEEP ooiis'fittio'riofi wiil'iamiilteicini, Royal-oak, Mich. Xflpiia'fifi mime; 1950';- seriaii Ni; r1531? This invention relates to buiiiiingwstructiires am; in? paietieuiar,-. to? step constructions:

Gite objeet to'f thizi intention isv to provide a; step oontiue'tion. wherein; a; flight: of; steps? is: built? uni-01?: zitepa find-. sazcffliesi so constructefct and art-angeditha t'eifter-nssembiy; the flight of steps" presents: the appeeranoe of? a monolithic flight super which; cannot easily displaiceda with have: unusuiiiiy great v strength and stability;

Another object? isto'? provide a; step? construetion stpspla'cedi onspaced saddles; thelsiieps and s'fi difl'e' being so" construcitd invisible grooves! or" ree'essesa as to be held; to; gether 63 8218111511" zmountz off mortar" which isubstsmwnw invisible in the: fiIIiShBd-iflight of. endTwherimsthe-iriser ofr one-step overlaps fi'ie tfedd' erithe lower step insueh way-as tomiiket-iijbint or'crackrsubstantialiyweather so"- that frosts cannot: getinto the. crack d'em'age either: the: steps or' thet saddles 01': di'splitc'e one rela'tivly'to'f the. cit-hen:

'A'nothef objeot is to provide a stepi constr um tioiiior me-reregtine character wherein-1 the steps, ire of" like oonstruotionisol: thait the: tread ofi 'tep is free? fiomza'nv vis'ihleprojctions or theriiy enabling; any step to" be"- used as the top step and requiring only a single staind firth-stepunit for a. flight-of 'st'eps'.

Hi the" drawings:

ildims; (cut-=96);

2; whioh avoids the expensivenionolithid" step; construction" requiring" setting up of forms eind the mixingand pouring- (if-cement; together with the use of skilled labor. Built-up step construe:- tionspreviousiy devised have often been uns'aitis factory, particularly in cold climates wheref rost works its way into the cracks in the steps 'a'l-n d breakssoff portions thereof; especially zit the-lower edges-ofthe'ris'ersl- Moreover; certainprior liu-il't up' step constructions-have employed inter1ocE=- in'g ribs and grooves which we not only easily" damaged irritransp'ortation and assembly-"but also are harwto fit togthefand' require carefui workmanshipi Finally; the componentparts' -oi sucl'i prior step constructions have frequently been displaceable" relatively to one another aft'er they have'been' supposedly completed, resulting in aln unsatisfactory: flight of steps".-

The step construction of the present invention eliminates"th'esedifficulties ands'olves theseproth items by providing grooved saddles; orside sup ports 'and 'gr'ooved steps which are assembled with the riser ofthe one" step slid'abl'y overiappingthr'zirwaird portion of the tread' of the next lower step; with a smail amount of mortar pl'elcedfi in the grooves toi hold the steps in' assembly" with the saddles; When the flight of steps is so as sembled, the component: parts are" not displace able relatively to one' another but present the 1 appearance eindhaive th dction' of a moirolithiq" flightofs'tepsi When great sidewise pressure is appiiedto arfiight ofsteps constructed in accordsince with the" present invention,- it slides bodily liizealmonblithiofiight of steps and can berollw overand olwi'er asset unit'rlikeri barrel.

Referring to; the drawings detail, Figures 12'; 2' anti 5 show" at: flight? of; steps; general 1y: desig noted" Ht, according to one forrri. ofi'the invenetiong-the'l flight it? being shown: as consisting of. three? steps but a: greater or lesser number may: obvi'ousl-y housed: The flight of steps; Hi? con sists general'lyof a pair 'ofispaced'saddles onsidei supports" I' l" upon" whieh'steps' l 2. are mountediinr theimanner described below. The sad-dies: H art? in: the form' ofi concrete blocks'or' slabs of heights. relatively greater thankthei-r widths; mi other words, the saddles H resemble?thiokslabs'offcon oretetsiet: up:.'oni edge: and provided: witlii bottom surfaces: 1%; outer' andainner-sides I 4;; and; 15;; re? s'peotivelyp, horizontaHM-Eofiseti frontsurfaces? 1-85:

and vertically offset top surface portions I1 with a rear surface I8 running the full height of the saddle. Thus, the saddle II resembles a thick slab of concrete with one or more right-angled notches I9 cut out from the upper surface 20 of the slab, depending upon the number of steps in the flight. The top edge or surface 20 of each saddle thus consists of two or more vertically offset top surface portions I I interconnected by one or more front portions I6. The saddles II are constructed in rights and lofts, Figure 3 showing a left-hand saddle. The outer top edge 2| of each saddle is preferably relatively sharp but the inner top edge 22 of each saddle is in the form of a downwardly and inwardly sloping rabbet or groove (Figure 3) for receiving the mortar by which the steps I2 and saddles I I are held in assembly.

Each of the steps I2 is a single type, and all are interchangeable with one another so that any step may serve as the top step without exposing any grooves or projections and without presenting any unusual appearance. Each step consists of a flat elongated tread 25 of plate-like form having a rounded front edge 26 'and a flat rear edge 2? (Figure 2). The rounded front edge 26 overlaps the riser 28, the front surface 28 of which'is vertical and the rear surface inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the bottom edge 35 of the riser 2t. The bottom edge 3i is generally flat but is provided with an elongated groove which joins corresponding grooves (Figure 4) in the bottom edges 35 of the step sides The grooves 32 and 33 are substantially at right angles to one another since .the sides 35 are likewise at right angles to the risers 2s. The outer surfaces 3 5 of the sides 35 are substantially vertical, whereas the inner surfaces at thereof are inclined up wardly and inwardly from the bottom edges The grooves 32 and are so located that they at least partially overlap the grooves 22 in the saddles lI (Figure 1) so that the mortar filling 8 (Figure 1) will enter both sets of grooves and interlock them. Elsewhere, the mortar is in a thin layer 39, as explained in connection with the operation of the invention. The tread 25 of each step I2 has relatively flat upper and lower surfaces 46 and ti respectively which are substantially parallel with one another, and the side edges 42 of each tread 25 are rounded (Figures 1 and 4) so as to slightly overhang the sides 35. The rearward edge surfaces '53 of the sides are fiat and substantially vertical.

In the operation of the invention, the operator assembles a pair of right and left-hand saddles II at the proper spacing with the top grooves 22 facing upward and inward (Figure l) and in the proper locations, such as beneath the door sill 45 ofv a building 45 having a wall 47! against which the rear vertical surfaces It of the saddles II are placed. The operator first places the first step I2 in position with its rear surfaces :33 against the lower front saddle surfaces it. He then carefully places a layer of mortar upon the top surfaces ll of the saddle top 2! with the mortar extending over into the rabbets or grooves 22. He next places the second step i 2 in position with the bottom edge 35 of its riser 28 slightly overlapping the upper surface ii! of the tread 25 of the first step i2 (Figure 2) and presses it downward upon the mortar so that the mortar is pushed upward into the grooves and 33 (Figures 1 and 2) as well as downward into the saddle groove 22, resulting in the mortar portions-31 and 38 extending into the grooves (Figure 1) and the thin layers 39 between the steps and the top saddle surfaces IT. The operator continues to lay the steps i 2 in the same overlapping manner described above, with the mortar disposed in the same way until he comes to the top step which is placed with its rearward tread edge surface 2i against the building wall 41 and substantially in alignment with the rearward vertical edge surfaces I3 of the saddles I I.

When the mortar hardens, it is found that the steps I2 and saddles II are so solidly interlocked that they are, for all practical purposes, united into an apparently monolithic flight of steps. The upper step I2 is as free from visible projections or recesses as the remaining steps, even though only a single standard step is used for all of the steps of the flight. Rain or frost cannot run in under the risers 28 because the thin layer of mortar (Figure 2) at this location completely fills the crack which would otherwise occur at that place. After the mortar has solidified, any attempt to push or roll over the steps results in the entire flight It being moved bodily. Indeed, the entire flight iii can be rolled over and over like a barrel, as stated above.

What I claim is:

1. A built-up flight of steps comprising a pair of laterally-spaced saddles having stepped alternating horizontal and vertical top and front surfaces respectively, said top surfaces having elongated recesses along the inner edges thereof, inverted approximately box-shaped monolithic steps of substantially identical construction mounted upon said top saddle surfaces and against said front saddle surfaces, each of said steps having a tread portion on the top thereof, a riser portion at the front thereof and side portions at the opposite ends thereof, said riser portions and said side portions having grooves in their bottom surfaces extending upwardly therein, said side portion grooves registering at least partially with said recesses, a layer of binding material disposed between said steps and said top surfaces of said saddles, said material extending into said grooves and recesses in interlocking relationship with said steps and saddles, said layer of said material also extending from said grooves and recesses outwardly between the adjacent surfaces of said steps and saddles, the major part of each tread portion being exposed, the bottom of the riser portion of one step overlapping the rearward part of the tread portion of the next lower step.

2. A built-up flight of steps comprising a pair 1 of laterally-spaced saddles having stepped alternating horizontal and vertical top and front surfaces respectively, said top surface having elongated recesses along the inner edges thereof, inverted approximately box-shaped monolithic steps of substantially identical construction mounted upon said top saddle surfaces and against said front saddle surfaces; each of said steps having a tread portion on the top thereof, a riser portion at the front thereof and side portions at the opposite ends thereof; said riser portions and said side portions having grooves in their bottom surfaces extending upwardly therein, said sideportion grooves registering at least partially with said recesses, a layer of binding material disposed between said steps and said top surfaces of said saddles, said material extending into said grooves and recesses in interlocking relationship with said steps and saddles, said layer of said material also extending from said grooves and recesses outwardly between the adjacent sur faces of said steps and saddles, the major part of each tread portion being exposed, the bottom of the riser portion of one step overlapping the rearward part of the tread portion of the next lower step, the upper surface of the overlapped part of said tread portion being on substantially the same level as the exposed part thereof, said binding material layer also extending from said grooves and recesses outwardly between the bottoms of said riser portions and the thereby overlapped part of said tread portions in sealing relationship therebetween.

WILLIAM J. ALCINI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Osborn May 14, 1918 Barksdale Apr. 13, 1920 Poth Dec. 12, 1922 Daly Apr. 14, 1925 Krummel Mar. 1, 1927 Buzby June 26, 1934 Lee Sept. 21, 1937 

